Memories of an open drain

In this episode we consider this picture on an open drain from 1960's Mackay. It was posted to Facebook by the page "Have You Seen the Old Mackay?" The picture is interesting, but the comments were fascinating and inspired this episode.

For those of you listening in audio only, here are the comments from Facebook (suitably redacted to make names and places anonymous):

*NAME REMOVED* the drain went way down to the salt flats behind Ray St. We lived in *STREET NAME REMOVED*. Always had a good swim when the tides were high. They came right up in our gutters. Wow, that’s along time ago.

That is just one of those things you don't really notice going, until someone mentions it and suddenly "oh...when did that go? I remember that.

My grandmother was the first house in *STREET NAME REMOVED* which is about where this photo was taken from. I used to be in those drains a lot in rainy season

*NAME REMOVED* your Nans little house is in this. I remember the drain well. Loved it in high tides... and Floods.

Many hours of fun had in those drains and I feel sure our parents would have worried if they knew what we got up to.

Caught lobbies in those drains on the corner of Bridge and Nebo Road in the late 50s and early 60s.

Probably worked better than today’s drainage.

Circa 1960 is where Sarina township is still at!

*STREET NAME REMOVED*. The 2nd street I lived in mackay

I remember going down that on a surfboard one day. Whoop Whoop!!

I remember. Loved those days life was so simple

Open drains were the best in wet season. Got old dinghies out and paddle around streets

The shops were a newsagents and the post office which only moved premises in recent years.

Wow, I played in those drains.

I am sure the grocer shop was Worthington’s when I was a kid.

The shops on the left are still there too.

They should of kept the drain.

I walked past that drain every day going to and from school. THREE *NAMES REMOVED